Favorite Schools

Favorite Teams

Times of Trenton Letters to the Editor - June 2

Operation Swill news conference

New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa, right, looks on as Michael Halfacre, director of the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, talks about an investigation dubbed "Operation Swill," in which 29 bars and restaurants in New Jersey are accused of putting cheap booze -- or worse -- in premium brand liquor bottles and selling it, during a news conference today in Trenton.
(AP Photo)

New Jersey follows law of the spirits

The great story “Bars accused of subbing cheap booze for top-shelf” (May 23) reminded me of the good old days when government regulation was not always a dirty word. As a new (young) ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) special agent, I inspected retail liquor dealers (bars and taverns) for compliance with the registration, taxation and consumer protection provisions of the IRS code. ATF was a division of the IRS until 1972.

Part of each inspection was to check the bar stock for “refills,” that is, cheap liquor put into expensive liquor bottles, which was a not-uncommon practice at that time and appears to be not uncommon today. There was a simple test kit that we used to test the proof (alcohol content) of each bottle to determine if it was watered down or altered. Both the tax program for retail dealers and fines for watering down or adulterating liquor brought in revenue.

It is worth noting that former President George W. Bush signed legislation repealing the tax provisions of this part of the code in 2005, although retail dealers must still be registered. Kudos to New Jersey for keeping this consumer program alive.

-- David L. Ziegler (ATF, retired.),
Hopewell Township

Enough hot air: It’s time to act

In the letter to the editor “Warming alarmists cherry-pick their facts” (May 25), a reader confusedly asserts that “facts supporting global warming don’t matter; there are facts that indicate there is no global warming.” I wonder what one is to make of that.

It might make sense to listen to the American Meteorological Society (among many scientific organizations worldwide, including Climate Central, located in Princeton), which has been studying weather and climate for decades before Americans twice voted President Barack Obama into office. In August 2012, the AMS issued the following statement:

“It is clear from extensive scientific evidence that the dominant cause of the rapid change in climate of the past half-century is human-induced increases in the amount of atmospheric greenhouse gases.”

A number of recent polls now indicate that approximately 80 percent of Americans now believe in climate change. The logical next step is to do something about it.

-- Huck Fairman,
Princeton
The writer is a member of the Citizens Climate Lobby.

Other storms building on the horizon

In the May 24 edition of The Times, there were three stories about the Jersey Shore. While NASA, quoted in one of the stories, does not and cannot predict with certainty another hurricane this year, it warns that the conditions exist to generate one. While Gov. Chris Christie is cheerleading the rebuilding of the shore, one Times article points out that the beaches are too low to fend off a major storm, and the NASA story predicts an “above normal” hurricane season.

So, as a state and a nation, what are we doing to deal with these challenges? Will we simply recoil from storm to storm? Hurricane Sandy’s reconstruction bill was more than $50 billion. Or will we, in a serious way, begin to address the underlying conditions that threaten us?

Recently, the world’s level of CO₂ in the atmosphere recently reached the 400 ppm level, as noted in many news outlets. But the more serious and dangerous development is the change, or steepening, of CO₂ annual increases. What’s more, the Earth’s ability to absorb CO₂ is decreasing with the destruction of its forests and the warming of its oceans. Even if we had cut global emissions by 50 percent at the start of 2013, we would still reach the 500 ppm by century’s end.

One thing the vast majority of scientists agree on is that if we want to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, we need national and global strategies to transition to alternative, non-fossil fuel energy sources and to increase the CO₂ absorption capacity of the Earth’s biosphere. Thoughtful Republicans and Democrats agree that a carbon fee and dividend would be the single most effective step to reduce emissions, as has been demonstrated in 34 other nations around the world.

-- Tom Sawyer Hopkins,
Princeton
The writer is an oceanographer and a member of the Princeton chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby.

Bison herds still at risk

It is truly pathetic what has happened to the western part of the U.S., but Montana certainly takes the cake.

Republican State Sen. John Brenden compares the bison population, which is competing with cattle for grasslands, with dinosaurs, and asks, “Trying to bring back the buffalo in big herds across Montana is like bringing back dinosaurs. And who wants dinosaurs in Montana? I certainly don’t.” He is the epitome of a dinosaur: small-brained, closed-minded, archaic and hates what he doesn’t understand. Montana leads the way in the slaughter of wolves and now bison have come into their gun sights. Along with Idaho and Wyoming, these states appear to love only big cattle and big money. Let’s build a fence around them to keep those folks and their big guns in, and all animals, except cows, out.

-- Phyllis Deal,
Hightstown

Don’t miss a beat: Learn CPR

Like most children of the ’70s, I know the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” by heart. Visions of disco balls, bell-bottom pants and John Travolta play in my head as soon as that unmistakable beat comes on. However, I never imagined a catchy tune of my youth could one day help save my life.

In 2008, at the age of 49, I collapsed on the side of the road suffering from sudden cardiac arrest. While the adults around me called 911 for help, it was a high school sophomore who jumped into action, starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The student had been trained in CPR at school. By understanding the mechanics of CPR and how to press down on a chest during a crisis situation, that young man helped keep me alive until paramedics arrived. My four children and I will be forever grateful for the CPR lessons he was taught.

I hope that every student in New Jersey will be required to learn and practice the mechanics of CPR. Although I hope it is a lesson never put into action, it’s important that our youth be prepared to act in an emergency situation.

June 1-7 is CPR/AED Awareness Week and there is no better time to learn CPR. While I encourage everyone to become fully certified, hands-only CPR has been proven to save lives, according to the American Heart Association.

If you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse, call 911 and push firmly and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive.” CPR can more than double a person’s chances of survival, and “Stayin’ Alive” has the right beat for hands-only CPR.
To learn more about hands-only CPR, readers can visit heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR.

-- Laurie Heavener,
Stanhope
The writer is an American Heart Association volunteer.